Exactly and I while I won't go as far as pissing on his jersey I can understand why some feel that way. Parise was one of the faces of the franchise for the past six or so years. A lot of fans get emotionally invested in the team so naturally they get emotionally invested in the players and to see how he left just made a good number of fans feel like they were being strung along the whole time. I can't blame them for feeling that way as since the signing we have seen plenty if evidence to suggest this.

I don't hate him, I guess I understand his ego or his reasoning to go back home and play in Minnesota, but he left the team, a team that did a lot to get him (yes I said it) 2 games away from a Stanley Cup win. He didn't do a whole lot for the cause but can thank Henrique, Kovy, and Brodeur.

So I'll be there, booing the piss out of him for leaving the team he was a leader of. It's obvious that he had this planned for a long time.

As a fanbase, grow some balls already. We have the least backbone of any arena in the Northeast, barring maybe the Penguins. We don't know how to intimidate and get in our opposing fans' heads, much less the heads of the players on the ice. Reading some of the comments on here, I can now see why.

According to some of you, we should all be Parise's shrink and understand his motives for leaving his team of 7 years, give him a big applause and a "Koombaya". "Let's be classy!", like it's a damn country club. Show some balls and make a statement. He wasn't there for us when it really mattered (Henrique usually was lol), and he sure as hell didn't help us try to get a Cup, so WE OWE HIM NOTHING.

I will always give an applause to Langenbrunner, and I will always give Madden a hand, and definitely Rolston. But Parise deserves nothing from us, and I will sure as hell be hollering at him everytime he comes into OUR building for the next 13 years...

I still don't get this whole we should respect their right to free agency stance.

And I don't get what's so bloody hard to understand about it.

And again I really don't understand why it's so important for you, dr, Tri, etc to be sticking up for a guy who left the team to the point of being confrontational. He wasn't traded, he left and what's more he was planning his exit throughout the season. This isn't Gionta or Rafalski leaving because Lou didn't offer them a contract and most fans didn't want them back anyway.

I can't speak for anyone else, but my motivation is the sheer overreaction displayed by so many people here. The temperature of the board the past four days makes it sound like Parise took a dump on the stage of the Stone Pony, set the state flag on fire, and kicked Bruce Springsteen in the balls. Christ, he's a professional athlete who exercised his right to seek employment elsewhere. Some of you folks need to get over yourselves already.

If he wanted to leave, fine...don't play Hamlet for a year and a half and beg for a contract through the media you have no intention of signing anyway. Don't tell me you want to play for a winner and an up-tempo system when you sign with a losing team and a guy who plays a defensive-minded system. I don't know how many times we have to tell you it's not his leaving that annoys everyone, it's him being such a phony about it.

I think what they don't understand is that a lot of posters are not upset at the fact that parise left or why he left, but HOW he left.

THIS is the overreaction I'm talking about. You're all so butthurt that anyone would want to leave New Jersey that you've twisted the details of the events of July 1-4 into this massive conspiracy where Parise and Suter have had this pact to run off to the Land of 10,000 Lakes together for months now and they've just been lying to everyone left and right about their intentions since then. I mean, really? Yeah, they probably batted the idea around, but I have a hard time believing it was anything more than idle chatter. To hear the insiders tell it, the plan didn't materialize until AFTER free agency opened. It sounds like the two of them compared notes on the 2nd, realized they had suitors in common and decided to try the whole package deal thing.

I still believe that returning to the Devils was very much an option until the end. Why? Because Lou says that's what Zach told him, and Lou believes him, and I believe Lou. And so what if the Devils WERE Plan B? It doesn't mean Zach was lying; I'm sure part of him did want to return, and I'm convinced that the decision to leave wasn't as easy as the majority of Devils fans want to believe it was.

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of the Devils' mascot, NJ Devil, and of all mascots far and wide.

IT IS VERY HARD TO WIN ONE STANLEY CUP, FORGET ABOUT THREE... and maybe it's high time some of you actually APPRECIATED THAT instead of treating it like it's some flipping birthright because for some random reason you rooted for the damn Devils!!!!!

I can't speak for anyone else, but my motivation is the sheer overreaction displayed by so many people here. The temperature of the board the past four days makes it sound like Parise took a dump on the stage of the Stone Pony, set the state flag on fire, and kicked Bruce Springsteen in the balls.

C'mon Rowdy now ur being ridiculous. You really mean to tell me that he didn't do any of that stuff?

Edited by ben00rs, 08 July 2012 - 07:05 PM.

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of No OneProud to be King of the Kovalnuts (Est. June 2010 by MantaRay)

"I am not an AH like you, he board is discussed with you/, good ;luck, AH" -BostonNala370

When it comes down to it I really don't give a sh!t why he left but he did leave us. Our captain who is suppose to be our leader left us, left our players after being 2 games away from winning the Cup. A Stanley Cup finals that our captain played horrible in. For all those reasons alone, Parise can go fvck himself.

When it comes down to it I really don't give a sh!t why he left but he did leave us. Our captain who is suppose to be our leader left us, left our players after being 2 games away from winning the Cup. A Stanley Cup finals that our captain played horrible in. For all those reasons alone, Parise can go fvck himself.

Truth.

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of No OneProud to be King of the Kovalnuts (Est. June 2010 by MantaRay)

"I am not an AH like you, he board is discussed with you/, good ;luck, AH" -BostonNala370

THIS is the overreaction I'm talking about. You're all so butthurt that anyone would want to leave New Jersey that you've twisted the details of the events of July 1-4 into this massive conspiracy where Parise and Suter have had this pact to run off to the Land of 10,000 Lakes together for months now and they've just been lying to everyone left and right about their intentions since then. I mean, really? Yeah, they probably batted the idea around, but I have a hard time believing it was anything more than idle chatter. To hear the insiders tell it, the plan didn't materialize until AFTER free agency opened. It sounds like the two of them compared notes on the 2nd, realized they had suitors in common and decided to try the whole package deal thing.

I still believe that returning to the Devils was very much an option until the end. Why? Because Lou says that's what Zach told him, and Lou believes him, and I believe Lou. And so what if the Devils WERE Plan B? It doesn't mean Zach was lying; I'm sure part of him did want to return, and I'm convinced that the decision to leave wasn't as easy as the majority of Devils fans want to believe it was.

So players Have never blown smoke up their GM's and fans asses before? Lou is taking Zach's public explanation at face value but behind closed doors Lou might be as furious as us. Fact is we do not know and what your opinion and perception of what happened is yours and our opinion and perception of what happened is ours. You are calling posters out for what you say is re-writing history when you yourself do not know exactly what happened behind closed doors.

So players Have never blown smoke up their GM's and fans asses before? Lou is taking Zach's public explanation at face value but behind closed doors Lou might be as furious as us. Fact is we do not know and what your opinion and perception of what happened is yours and our opinion and perception of what happened is ours. You are calling posters out for what you say is re-writing history when you yourself do not know exactly what happened behind closed doors.

Just let those who are pissed at parise be.

Not to mention Zach probably pulled the wool over Marty and Sal's eyes too, when they were both calling trying to get him to stay and both seemed optomistic that he was. They could have been blowing smoke publicly too but there was really no benefit for them to do so if they had an idea Zach was going to be gone in a day or two. I'm sure the guys in his locker room were real thrilled to hear him talking about playing with his buddy Suter as opposed to them, his friends in the red and white for years.

Of course you'll never get anything publicly out of them other than a few feisty tweets from Marty's kids. I don't think it's a coincidence you haven't heard one peep out of any player since Zach walked, it's total lockdown mode.

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"The Devils have high standards, that's the difference. We have a standard to live up to every year, and a couple of teams in our area don't have the standards we do." - Pat Burns

The New Jersey Devils win Stanley Cups everywhere:-NHL record for most road wins in the playoffs - 10-1 in '95 and 10-2 in '00-NHL record for most home wins in the playoffs - 12-1 in '03

Not to mention Zach probably pulled the wool over Marty and Sal's eyes too, when they were both calling trying to get him to stay and both seemed optomistic that he was. They could have been blowing smoke publicly too but there was really no benefit for them to do so if they had an idea Zach was going to be gone in a day or two. I'm sure the guys in his locker room were real thrilled to hear him talking about playing with his buddy Suter as opposed to them, his friends in the red and white for years.

Of course you'll never get anything publicly out of them other than a few feisty tweets from Marty's kids. I don't think it's a coincidence you haven't heard one peep out of any player since Zach walked, it's total lockdown mode.

Or maybe Sal kept quiet when asked about Zach and only choosing to say that he "was too closet to the situation to comment" because Zach had told him he was leaning to go home to his family in Minny. That is very probable when you think about it.

Total lockdown mode? Come on now. Reporters don't call players up in the summer usually for some quotes. It's not something that's done often. On the surface it also doesn't seem like any of the beat writers have any close relationship with the players at all for that to happen. The only guy who might is TG, and he has been out of commission for the last week.

I doubt any of the players were really convincing him to stay either. Most players respect the decision and process since they have all gone through it. Being in contact doesn't mean pleading to stay.

Edited by devilsrule33, 08 July 2012 - 08:06 PM.

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"The Stanley Cup has fallen from the Stars. The new millennium has its first Stanley Cup Champion, and it's the New Jersey Devils." Mike Miller calling the Devils winning the Stanley Cup.

"It goes to the captain and then there are handoffs during a skate around the ice" Mike Emrick as Scott Stevens is being presented the Stanley Cup.

I wouldn't cheer or boo. He was a great Devil, he spurned us...but not for the Rags or Flyers. He went out west, he went home for a ton of money. This is not a Gomez/Holik thing

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^7^ is just defending his sport sheeps.. as Alcibiades the exiled Athenian rationalizes in his speech to the enemy Spartans, he wants to take revenge on Athens because he loves it and can't stand to see the state it's in now - Triumph

He didn't sign with the Rangers. He didn't sign with the Flyers. He didn't even stay in the division. Hell, he didn't even stay in the conference.

Sure, he said "We" a couple times while still under contract. Big whoop. And he said "Don't worry" one time. I'm not even sure what that means, but they're both a pretty far cry from "I pinky swear that I'll be a Devil for life." "We" and "Don't worry" carry a lot less weight than hiring a team of agents and going to July 1, IMO, so anyone who was blindsided by this was trying way too hard to convince themselves that Zach would stay.

In this era of professional sports, the second someone hires an agent we fans have to start mentally preparing ourselves for their departure. It sucks, but it's just the nature of being a sports fan now. If they end up staying, then great. It makes you appreciate the player all the more for it (like Elias). But if they leave, at least you're a little more prepared for the reality of it. Just a suggestion, take it or leave it.

In the end, Zach is worth nothing remotely close to the contract he got, so I'm glad he's gone in that respect. I've been fearful for the last couple years of the notion of locking Zach up to some long term, big money deal because the writing is on the wall. He's a small guy and plays a style that absorbs a ton of punishment. When injuries and/or age bring on a decline in his skills, he'll be Jay Pandolfo. I loved Pando, but not for $7.5M/year.

We're better off.

Best of luck to Zach out west. He gave us some good memories and no real great ones.

He didn't sign with the Rangers. He didn't sign with the Flyers. He didn't even stay in the division. Hell, he didn't even stay in the conference.

Sure, he said "We" a couple times while still under contract. Big whoop. And he said "Don't worry" one time. I'm not even sure what that means, but they're both a pretty far cry from "I pinky swear that I'll be a Devil for life." "We" and "Don't worry" carry a lot less weight than hiring a team of agents and going to July 1, IMO, so anyone who was blindsided by this was trying way too hard to convince themselves that Zach would stay.

In this era of professional sports, the second someone hires an agent we fans have to start mentally preparing ourselves for their departure. It sucks, but it's just the nature of being a sports fan now. If they end up staying, then great. It makes you appreciate the player all the more for it (like Elias). But if they leave, at least you're a little more prepared for the reality of it. Just a suggestion, take it or leave it.

In the end, Zach is worth nothing remotely close to the contract he got, so I'm glad he's gone in that respect. I've been fearful for the last couple years of the notion of locking Zach up to some long term, big money deal because the writing is on the wall. He's a small guy and plays a style that absorbs a ton of punishment. When injuries and/or age bring on a decline in his skills, he'll be Jay Pandolfo. I loved Pando, but not for $7.5M/year.

We're better off.

Best of luck to Zach out west. He gave us some good memories and no real great ones.

Now back to your regularly scheduled venting ...

A non confrontational way of having a different view, that's not allowed

The only premise I'll argue is that hiring an agent does not equate to being gone. 99% of players have agents, including the ones who stay. Admittedly, when Zach hired Arnott as his agent, I had no idea of him being a part of a Toronto company with Meehan involved until maybe a week or two before FA. At the time, it was just 'one' agent with a loose tie to the Devils. If I'd known Meehan was involved I probably would have had more of a doom and gloom feel.

Edited by NJDevs4978, 09 July 2012 - 09:51 AM.

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"The Devils have high standards, that's the difference. We have a standard to live up to every year, and a couple of teams in our area don't have the standards we do." - Pat Burns

The New Jersey Devils win Stanley Cups everywhere:-NHL record for most road wins in the playoffs - 10-1 in '95 and 10-2 in '00-NHL record for most home wins in the playoffs - 12-1 in '03

Thank you for stating your opinion but not acting like everyone who disagrees with you is an idiot. The board is more fun when people are just giving opinions and not acting like they're smarter than everyone else.

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"The Devils always find a way to win, ... That will continue." -Scott Stevens"I wouldn't think so. Nothing is broken. It's just a bruise." -Lou Lamoriello

A non confrontational way of having a different view, that's not allowed

The only premise I'll argue is that hiring an agent does not equate to being gone. 99% of players have agents, including the ones who stay. Admittedly, when Zach hired Arnott as his agent, I had no idea of him being a part of a Toronto company with Meehan involved until maybe a week or two before FA. At the time, it was just 'one' agent with a loose tie to the Devils. If I'd known Meehan was involved I probably would have had more of a doom and gloom feel.

That's fair. And I probably overstated the agent part. For some reason, this whole 2011-12 season I've been reluctant about Zach. My fiancee wanted a jersey, and when she mentioned maybe getting PARISE #9 on it I told her to wait until this summer. With every goal he scored, I told myself, "I've gotta enjoy it while I can, this might be my last chance." By the same token, every time he took a weak wrister from more than 10' out, got knocked down by someone bigger, got outskated by someone faster, I told myself, "I wouldn't miss this."

Maybe it was the new agent that did it. Maybe not. Maybe I was just numb from all the pain of seeing guys like Nieds, Gomer, and Raf wearing different sweaters, and telling myself I won't get fooled again. Maybe I'm just tired of mourning the loss of an athlete, and having people tell me, "Dude, stop pissing on that jersey, it's just a game."

Of all the player defections we've endured, Gomez still stung the most. It was just a pure cash grab from our biggest rivals. Zach said "No way" about the Rangers, kept his word on it, turned down more money from the Flyers, turned down Sid and the Pens, and ultimately went home. I couldn't hate Rafalski for going home. Why would I hate Zach for it?

To each their own, but I just built up such an indifference to him that I don't care to boo him. The Rangers, meanwhile, suck, have always sucked, and will forever continue to define the word "suck".

Of all the player defections we've endured, Gomez still stung the most. It was just a pure cash grab from our biggest rivals. Zach said "No way" about the Rangers, kept his word on it, turned down more money from the Flyers, turned down Sid and the Pens, and ultimately went home. I couldn't hate Rafalski for going home. Why would I hate Zach for it?

Of course I hated Gomez going to a rival, but all season I felt like there was no way he was re-signing here. On the other hand, Zach was feeding us lines about wanting to re-sign here. Maybe I'm a sucker for believing him, but he kept giving me hope, while it was clear Gomez was leaving.

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"The Devils always find a way to win, ... That will continue." -Scott Stevens"I wouldn't think so. Nothing is broken. It's just a bruise." -Lou Lamoriello